We had Tracy Morgan on the 99.7 Sun Country Morning Show today talking about Mindfulness.

Mindfullness about back-to-school stress for both kids and parents.

And now that kids have been back in school for 3 weeks she talked about 6 helpful tips.

1. Watch for signs of stress in your kids and in yourself. Stress can manifest in different ways, irritability, and feeling off, feeling overwhelmed

2. Listen carefully to your child, watch their actions. Children will mention little things in subtle ways, and be mindful of what they are saying and how they are saying it. It could be nothing or could be something. Ask questions, and communicate.

3. Make sure everyone is getting a good nights sleep. Happiest baby on the Block, is a great book about the importance for sleep for children, the same applies to us. Making sure everyone is well rested is key. Lack of sleep leads to inattention in school or work, higher stress, and irritability.

4. Go over the week with the family. Sometimes when life gets overloaded we forget to let everyone in on the plan for the week. Go over what’s happeninig and when so everyone is on the same page. Sync your calendars, literally, in your phones.

5. Find time for yourself – Happy Parents, Happy Kids, Happy Family. Remember yourself, take a day to do something for yourself; volunteer, do a hobby, workout, a date with friends, or do nothing, give yourself permission to stop and just watch a movie, all by yourself. These little times go a long way to keep you sane.

6. Make time for ‘PDF’. Playtime, downtime, family time – don’t over program your family life. There is such pressure to register the kids in everything all the time, it’s good to have some days with some breaks for yourself and the kids. You need to feed your soul too, so plan a day or two (or a weekend) that there are no activities.

Tracy Morgan joins us the second last Thursday of the month in the 8:00 a.m. hour.

- Kevin